Riders can now tip Uber drivers in DC and nationwide – Washington Post

Nearly a month after rolling out the function in three U.S. cities, Uber is launching in-app tipping nationwide, together with in the District — permitting passengers to steer drivers an additional token of appreciation on the ends of their journeys.

The function, provided by Lyft since 2012, has lengthy been sought by the experience-hailing big’s workforce, and driver teams have stated it’s lengthy overdue.

Tipping formally launches in the District on Monday afternoon, an Uber spokesman stated. As a bonus, Uber says it’ll match all ideas greenback-for-greenback Tuesday, the primary full day the function will probably be out there to drivers nationwide.

“We’re letting everyone know — both riders and drivers — that on Tuesday tips are twice as nice,” Uber stated in an e mail to drivers. “You’ll get double the thanks for your awesome service.”

In the app, drivers will obtain a notification that they can now gather ideas, and be prompted to faucet an “accept tips” icon in the event that they need to choose in.

Riders, in the meantime, will probably be given an choice so as to add a tip once they price their drivers on the finish of a visit. The tip might be a preset quantity — $1, $2 or $5 — or a customized quantity they enter on their very own.

Riders can add a tip at any time as much as 30 days from the top of a visit. UberEats clients can additionally tip their drivers after deliveries, the corporate says.

Uber introduced late final month that it might launch tipping in Minneapolis, Seattle and Houston — with an eventual rollout nationwide. The transfer was welcomed by regulators and driver advocates who stated tipping was a step towards higher wages and fairer remedy of drivers.

In a press release Monday, Lyft illustrated the impression of its tipping function on its driver earnings, whereas issuing a attribute jab at its chief competitor.

“Tipping isn’t new to us at Lyft,” Lyft spokeswoman Alexandra LaManna stated. “We’ve offered in-app tipping since our earliest days because it was the right thing to do, and our drivers have earned an extra $250 million as a result.”

Uber’s transfer to activate tipping nationwide comes days after New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission handed a measure requiring tipping in experience-hailing apps citywide. Uber has stated the choice to activate in-app tipping got here independently of any laws, and had been in the works for a while.

Still, the Independent Drivers’ Guild, which represents greater than 50,000 app-based mostly drivers in New York City, hailed the city ruling as a victory for its trigger.

“Never doubt the power of organized workers to win big changes,” Jim Conigliaro Jr., a guild founder and Machinists Union official, stated in a press release Thursday. “Tipping is a vitally important source of income for thousands of families who are struggling to make ends meet right now. We were proud to lead the way on tipping on behalf of drivers in New York City and across the nation.”